Copper sheathing? Approximate age?

Hi All

I found this in the dunes and looks to be copper sheathing of some sort? Would it be part from an old boat/ part of shipwreck? Approximate age? 1700-1800? Or too hard to tell?

Can't say I know what it is but photographically speaking the second last shot lends itself to being a good model.

looks like square nails so it's pretty old.

numpty said:

looks like square nails so it's pretty old.

Click to expand...

I remember my dad saying square nails were a hundred years old.... that was 40+ years ago now... the copper ones were used for ships and boats.

You can still buy copper nails, square shafts, looking at your pieces there is certainly some age to it but hard to determine.

silver said:

numpty said:

looks like square nails so it's pretty old.

Click to expand...

I remember my dad saying square nails were a hundred years old.... that was 40+ years ago now... the copper ones were used for ships and boats.

Click to expand...

I have an idea that square-shanked nails were (are?) used for boats because anything floating on the sea is subject to twisting movement from constant wave action and whereas ordinary round-shanked nails can in time loosen and even begin to rotate, square-shanks withstand the unceasing motion much better.

Here's the best resource I've found for using nails as a dating tool in Australia, check out "The Nail as a Criterion for the Dating of Buildings and Building Sites" in this old AHSA newsletter:

http://www.asha.org.au/pdf/newsletters/ASHANewsletter10_1980.pdf

Limited use for maritime stuff I guess, but the takeaway for most other nails is that the transition from square handmade / cut nails to round wire nails was made in Australia roughly around 1870 give or take a decade, somewhat later than the USA. Most of the sites I detect are dominated by wedge-pointed nails (~1840-1870) which fits well with the the main period of activity in the area (1860-1880).

Fits with me too

Thank you for this in depth info. If a ship coming from UK could be from 1700 up to 1800. I think it has to be from a boat. Unless it was part of an old hut? I will go back to the area when the weather permits to do a thorough sweep as i found this piece at the end of the hunt and could not be bothered digging any more. As there were more in the area.